Chapter 2 - Statics

"Hey look! It's Baek! He's back!"

The corner of Baekhyun's eyes crinkled as he smiled. Hands in his pockets, he made his way towards the owners of the joyful voices that greeted him. It honestly felt nice to be welcomed and Baekhyun appreciated it.

The ones that greeted him were boys that he knew during his first year here. They were honestly quite a bunch.

A boy in a red sweater whose nose looked like it could slice an apple in half tackled him for a hug. This caused Baekhyun to laugh, gladly accepting the warm gesture. The other boy proceeded to rock him back and forth and spun him around a few times, ignoring the stares they were receiving from the other students that were passing by.

Well, they did deserve it since they were in front of the school's auditorium. Around the area, boys and girls alike were loitering around. And like him, some had just returned from the holidays with a sense of excitement filling their chests.

"I missed you! You don't pick up my calls, reply my texts or even accepted any of my Facebook game requests!"

Lee Jaehwan pouted as he held Baekhyun by the arms. Baekhyun grinned and had a close look of his dear friend whom he hasn't seen since winter break. Jaehwan still looked the same as ever, sharp nose, large babbling mouth and he looked more handsome too which Baekhyun would never admit in case he wanted to hear Jaehwan ramble about how he's some son to Aphrodite or something.

He could still remember as if it was yesterday, the first time he met Jaehwan. It was quite...a memory.

 

"Annyeonghaseyo! My name is Byu-Baekhyun Byun. A-Ah you fareigner? You maybe not know the...uh..place. I help you, okay? Uhh, fighting, yes!" said Baekhyun in English

"Dude. I have no idea what you're talking about." said Jaehwan in Korean.

 

Baekhyun chuckled. "You know, I'm really not that into Farmville. And I think that's all you ever did to communicate with me."

"You'll be responsible for my sheeps death."

"All right break it up you two," Kim Wonsik blanched. "We're still in public so cut off the bromance. Hey, welcome back, Baek."

Jaehwan mockingly saluted as he gave way for Wonsik to give Baekhyun a bear-hug. Oh god, Baekhun struggled for air. If one didn't know Wonsik, they'd think he was some kind of thug but that's just some people. And really, he's one of the sweetest guy Baekhyun's ever met (and talk about his sister complex, yeesh).

"Glad to be back." He smiled. "Where's Hakyeon-hyung and the others though? And what's all this?"

Baekhyun gestured towards the numerous boxes around them. Now that he noticed, they were everywhere. Well, most of them were stacked on top of the tables that Jaehwan and Wonsik probably brought but still. He could make a damn well box-fort if given the chance. Maybe even a box-kingdom. Yeah.

"They all went to get some stuff. We're handling the Jumble Sale this year."

"You mean the thing where everyone gives their old junk away?" Baekhyun watched in amusement when Jaehwan started to organize items from the boxes. There were sure a lot of things in there. It ranged from books to old clothes,records and even stuffed animals. And Baekhyun swore he saw a...was that a plastic bag full of underwear? Dirty underwear he presumed. 

Jaehwan held it up and made a face.

"Oh, come on!"

Baekhyun laughed.

"In a way I guess." Wonsik went around and stood behind the tables to help Jaehwan sort the things out. "Even the teachers dumped us a few boxes full of... I dunno old textbooks and stuff. Man, why don't they just recycle these junk." 

"Because selling these junk to students is a grand idea. Oh, hey Baekhyun!" Greeted a tanned yet very attractive looking boy. The said boy seemed to be carrying a box and so were the other two boys that trailed behind him. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt and blue jeans with a red beanie on his head. Shockingly simple for Cha Hakeyon, thought Baekhyun.

"Heya, Hakyeon-hyung." He also returned the bright smile from Lee Hongbin and nodded back to Jung Taekwoon. Sheesh, he was surrounded by dashing men. Unfair much?

"So how was winter break?" Hakyeon kindly asked him as he set the box down on the table.

"Oh, you know. I just goofed off a lot at home, played Power Rangers with my cousin and got a new dog. It was kinda boring yet entertaining at the same time," Baekhyun absent mindedly replied. He picked up the previous plastic bag and playfully shoved it into Jaehwan's face.

"Dude!"

Hongbin bursted out laughing at their antics, almost tripping himself with the box he was carrying.

"Well just relish the time you have now. That's what I did. So after that, you can start having anxiety attacks during your exam year," said Hakyeon as he grinned.

Baekhyun almost scoffed because really? The last thing he needed to hear about was exams. The horror.

"Thanks so much for the advice, hyung. Hope to see you have a mental breakdown by trial examinations." Baekhyun smirked triumphantly. 

"Uh, no that would be Jaehwan definitely."

"Hey!"

Oddly enough, Jaehwan is a senior and so is Hakyeon and Taekwoon. These guys get along pretty well with other people and favour certain juniors since they mostly hangout with Wonsik, Hongbin and him. It was kinda sad to think that these three would be graduating by the end of the year but what can he do. 

"Ugh man would you look at all this? It's gonna take forever to sort these things out."

Hongbin grumbled as he stacked his box onto the others. Jaehwan and Wonsik nodded agreeably with a look of disdain on their faces. It was Hakyeon's fault for giving out their names to volunteer for this year's Jumble Sale. Sometimes, they wonder what they ever did to deserve such a hyung.

"Oh, come on, Bin!"

"Don't call me that." Hakyeon rolled his eyes.

"It's a great way to meet new people. Ooh, and we'll even meet the juniors too! You three might probably want a new friend when we graduate."

The tanned hyung was certainly ecstatic to meet the frehsmens. That was how he met Wonsik, Hongbin and him honestly. By harassing them during their first day and wouldn't you know it? The three of them, total strangers as they minded their own businesses, were hanging around at the Jumble Sale. And a tanned hyung was there too, welcoming new students (a.k.a fresh meat.) Thus, that was how a beautiful friendship was born. Kinda.

"Please refrain harassing the juniors.", Wonsik groaned as he face-palmed. "I feel so bad for them."

"Now listen here ya lil--" 

"Ookay that's enough." Hongbin called over with his 'I'm so done' face. "Really! I don't care about meeting any freshmen! If we get one more box I'm going to shave my hair off!" He certainly looked like he would, judging the fact that the brunet was pulling his hair in furstration.

"Hey guys!" 

The sudden owner of the new voice was none other than their teacher. The man was actually in his early thirties but he could easily pass off as someone in his mid twenties. Baekhyun even almost spoke rudely (informally) towards him during their first meeting too. 

Sure to his profession, he was wearing a lab coat donned with a black expensive tie which looked frequently worn. His small face was complemented with his almost Harry Potter like glasses and his fluffy hair stuck out in a few places. The teacher looked amused at the sight of the teenagers as some of them comically froze.

They were staring at the box he was holding.

Jaehwan and Wonsik glanced at each other knowingly.

"I'M GONNA SHAVE HIS HEAD!"

"NO ME!"

"I CALLED DIBS FIRST!"

"SHUT UP! NO YOU DIDN'T! I CALL DIBS!"

"I'M OLDER, YOU BRAT! DIBS BE ON ME!"

"I DIBS!"

"I DON'T WANT NEITHER OF YOU NEAR MY HEAD YOU SONS OF--"

Hakyeon clamped his hands to Hongbin's mouth before he started singing variety of colourful words. Taekwoon just pulled the other two mischief makers ears. 

"Hiya, Minseok-seonsaeng. Sorry, it's been kinda hectic. We thought we had everything to get started with already," said Hakyeon politely as he nudged both hands further up Hongbin's face when he heard few swear words slipping out. And when he was sure the brunet had quieted, he happily removed his hands and smeared them on Hongbin's shirt.

"I can see that." Minseok nodded. "It seems that you boys are busy. But hey, honest to God this will be your last box," he claimed as the box was ed into Baekhyuns chest.

Baekhyun made an audible 'oof' but quicly retaliated by putting the box on the empty spot on the table. "Teacher...what the heck do you even have in there?"

Minseok's face lighted up and it made him look like a school boy. "See for yourself." He gave a slight chuckle. At this, both Wonsik and Jaehwan escaped from Taekwoon's ear-pull and took the chance to rummage the items from the box.

"Minseok-ssaem, why do you have a dumpling plushie? Or several. Did you get upset when you were conned at a dumpling store or something?" Jaehwan pouted teasingly and squeezed the soft toy as the other boys snickered.

"It was a gift from an old friend. I have tons of them so I'm sure he wouldn't mind me giving one or two away," said Minseok as he rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Speaking of giving things away, why do we have to do this Jumble Sale again? I mean, isn't the school rich?" Hongbin scratched the back of his head for he was genuinely curious.

Minseok gave a sincere smile.

"Lee-ssi, the school isn't that rich. Sure we get sponsors from wealthy parents but the school does loads of charitable activities. The money from this sale is particularly donated to the villagers not far from here and also to charity. 'Sides, it's a good activity to keep students like you busy and it helps you to bond with eachother and value money."

While Minseok-ssaem droned on giving his dear students a good lecture on money, Baekhyun was lost in his own world. He contently picked out the items from the box all on his own. He laughed to himself as the books that were donated by Minseok-ssaem were mostly romance novels, DIY books and cook books. It was funny because Minseok-ssaem was a chemistry teacher. 

Baekhyun finally got to the last item and took it out. Now he knew why the box was so darn heavy as the cause of that was from this object. It was box shaped and wrapped in a blue cloth. He gently unfolded the cloth, thinking that the object might have been fragile.

But to his surprise it was only a radio.

"Pretty neat." said Baekhyun to himself as he inspected the small machine.

"Ah, so you found it." Minseok stopped halfway through his little lecture. 

"Man, that thing looks so old. It looks like it's...been burnt too." Wonsik the music lover looked at it a bit disapprovingly.

True to his words, the radio had a few black marks all over it as if it was thrown accidently into a burning oven or something. It wasn't particularly bad in shape but it definitely looked charred. On the upside, the radio looked pretty cool with it's semi retro antique vibe. Other than that, it's just a plain old radio.

"It was a friend's. I'm sure it still works if you repaired it a bit." 

Baekhyun nodded at that. He hummed with amusement when he saw letters scribbled on the bottom. It read 'PCY' with small ridiculous doodles drawn around it. Silently, Baekhyun could almost sense a warm feeling in him as he examined the radio. He figured the radio was positively treasured by it's owner and probably went through a lot in their lives. It was...nice.

"I'll take it."

A few eyebrows were raised, taken aback by Baekhyun's sudden declaration. 

"Don't you have a friggin iPod already?" Jaehwan was incredibly guffawed because that radio looked like it belonged to his grandmother.

"That's the reason," Baekhyun sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "My cousin destroyed it. He stole my iPod and played it with his friends. Last I saw it was in pieces. I am in dire need of music." 

"That's the spirit, Baekhyun! No need for expensive musical electronics." Minseok beamed. "I can help send it to someone for repairs."

"That'd be great. Thanks Minseok-ssaem. Since I'm the first customer, I request a discount," said Baekhyun grinning.

Minseok laughed. "How 'bout I give it to you for free." He glanced at Hakyeon so he would get the message and the senior simply nodded. He continued and said, "It...belonged to a dear friend of mine. He really loved that radio. So I hope you'll take care of it." The teacher's face softened as if he remembered something worth reminiscing.

"I will," Baekhyun gave his word to appease his teacher.

"Okay then! Give it to me by tomorrow and it'll look good as new!" Minseok patted Baekhyun's shoulder as he turned to the others. "I gotta go now, hope you boys enjoy yourselves. Don't cause any trouble!" The small mousy teacher started to walk away while his students wave him goodbye.

"Finally." Hongbin heaved a relieved sigh. "Our last box! After we're finished I am going to nap like I've never napped before."

Hakyeon shook his head as he smiled. "Whatever you say, Binnie. We'll still be here all day." A few grunts and unintelligent responses were heard which were mainly from Wonsik and Jaehwan. It would have been a lie that even Taekwoon didn't make a face.

Ignoring the unwanted feedback, the older teenager turned to Baekhyun who looked like a little boy who was highly curious yet fascinated at his new toy. "Whatcha gonna do now, Baek?"

"Huh?" Snapping out of his daze, Baekhyun replied "I guess I'll head over to my room now."

"Yeah, you should go rest up. Let's meet up later." Wonsik gave a friendly pat on Baekhyun's shoulder. "And get that abomination away from my sight."

That caused Baekhyun to roll his eyes. "I know it's nothing compared to your Walkman so give it a rest."

Wonsik snickered and gave him a playful shove to lighten Baekhyun's mood. The other boy laughed and started to grab his things. "See you at dinner." He excused himself from his friends as they bid him goodbyes and made way to the dorms. 

And while Baekhyun walked, the radio was held securely in his arms.

---

Exhausted. He felt exhausetd after the long, hectic day. After he packed some stuff in his room (which really wasn't much considering the fact that he left a lot of things behind), he went to the library to kill some time. And after that, he went to dinner and continued to properly hang out and catch up with his friends.

Which included an almost dinner since the very first food fight of the year broke out.

And school hasn't even started yet!

Apparently some of Jaehwan's friends thought it would be best to greet him by pelting him with mashed potatoes. Which didn't hit him but another student instead. So the guy scooped up a handful of his mashed potatoes and aimed towards the guy who started it but alas he wasn't blessed with Katniss Everdeen's accuracy.

He missed. And it hit a girl instead. From this point after you could probably guess how it went down from there.

Baekhyun picked a banana skin from his hair with disgust. He proceeded to take a shower, a very long shower with lots of soaping and shampooing. When he was done, he changed into his pyjamas which mainly consisted a simple blue t-shirt and grey slacks. 

Plopping himself on his bed, he sighed. He scanned his room and felt a bit...lonely. He wondered where his roommate had gone. The guy was usually quiet but Baekhyun liked him. He must have not reacherd here yet or maybe didn't even departed at all. He hoped he'll be back soon. 

'Look's like it's just me then.'

Shaking his head, he decided not to be ridiculous. He only wished he could listen to music or something to lift this weird feeling he had. He always felt it when he was alone. Music was his only solace and distraction.

At one point, his eyes landed on the radio. He had placed it on his study desk which was adjacent to his bed.

He'd have to take it to Minseok-ssaem tomorrow or he'll be drowned in constant silence in his room. It wasn't that Baekhyun was scared or anything but he really dislikes being alone. Usually his thoughts would drift to certain unimaginable things and made him out of character which honestly scares him. He would find himself lost in his thoughts, fading in and out of reality. It's been that way since he could remember. 

Stopping himself from going too deep into his mind, his eyes grew droopier by the second and thus decided it was time to call it a day. He went to switch off the lights which made the room engulf in darkness.

As he lay in his bed, Baekhyun started to drift into a fitful sleep.

---

By midnight, Baekhyun was fast asleep and it was raining cats and dogs outside. Lightning and thunder flashed every few moments but that didn't wake him. 

Little did he know that his radio started to make small static noises as time passed. The radio that was ridculed by his friends as it was old and was deemed unfunctioning was now alive.

The statics grew louder as if to rival the growing thunder outside.

When a huge lightning strucked and lights flashed, a brief silhouette could be seen. 

He was sat on Baekhyun's desk, soundless.

And through the night, the sound of statics were well present but slowly hushed as dawn came.

But the silhoutte remained.